Means for leveling and alining face-plates.



H. HUBBELL.

MEANS FOR LEVELING AND ALINING FACE PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. H, 1915- I Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

WITNESSES.

A TTORIV'EY HARVEY HUIBBELL, dr BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.-

MEANS FOR LEVELING AND ALINING FACE-PLATES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A11 13, 1918,

Application filed November 17, 1915. Serial No. 61,923.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY I-IUBBELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, haveinvented an Improvement in Means for Leveling and Alining Face- Plates,of which-the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of electrio and other fixtures whichare adapted to be seated in wall pockets and are provided with finishedface plates, and the invention has for its object to provide simple andinexpensive means for leveling the fixtures in the wall pockets and foralining the face plates without tentative adjustments. It is of coursewell understood that the wall pockets which receive fixtures are roughlyand unevenly finished, and that-receptacles and other electric fixturesadapted to be seated in ockets are likewise roughly and unevenly nished.The face plates on the other hand are finely finished and are requiredto be set in perfect alinement in order to give a neat and finishedappearance to the work. So far as I am aware, the cutand-try plan hasbeen the means commonly used for leveling fixtures and for securingalinement of face plates. All the operator {usually does is to place thefixture in the wall pocket and secure it in as nearly the properposition as possible by. guess-work. Theface plate is then attached. Ifthe alinement is not satisfactory, the operator must estimate thenecessary change of position ofthe receptacle, remove the face plate,shift the position of the receptacle, and then attach the face plateagain, repeating these.

operations until the alinement of the face plate is possible, the resultbeing that face plates in high priced work are. frequently left more orless out of alinement.

This difficulty and the loss. of much time of highly paid workmen isavoided by the use of my present invention, which consists in providingthe fixture with an alining plate, that overlies the pocket and isalined with wall, baseboard or casing, as may be required, before theface plate is attached, after. which the receptacle is secured in placeand the face plate attached to the alining plate, the face platenecessarily assuming the precise alinement of the alining plate.

In the accompanying drawingforming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a plan view showing a receptacle and an outlet box inposition in a wall pocket, and the alining plate secured to thereceptacle, the face plate being removed;

Fig. 2 a central longitudinal section corresponding therewith, butshowing the face plate in position; v

Fig. 8 a view partly in elevation and partly in transverse section, and

Fig. 4 is a perspeptive view' on .a reduced scale, differing from theother views only in that the face plate is attached by screws instead ofby spring fingers.

10 denotes an outlet box adapted to liein a pocket 11 in a wall 12, and13 a rece tacle or other fixture in the outlet box. y present inventioncomprises an alining plate 14: which overlies the outlet box and thepocket and to which the face plate 15 is attached. The outlet box isshown as provided with attaching flanges 16 and as attached to the wallby screws 17. The receptacle is shown as provided with attaching flanges18 and as adjustably secured to the outlet box by screws 19 passingthrough slots 20 in the flanges. In the present instance, screws 19 areshown as engaging bushings 21 secured in the outlet box. It should" beunderstood, however, that the special details of construction areimmaterial so far as the principle of the invention is concerned. Wherean outlet box is not used, the receptacle is attached directly to thewall. The alining plate is attached to the receptacle by means of screws22 which engage attaching flanges 18. The face plate may be attached tothe alining plate by means of screws 23, as in Fig. 4, or if preferred,by means of spring fingers 24 secured to the back of the face plate andlocated and shaped to engage openings 25 in the alining plate. Thespring fingers may be formed integral with a finger plate 26, as in thealining plate overliesthe pocket insures the leveling of boththehreceptacle and the face plate. The only adjustment required is toplace the alining plate in the desired alinement with baseboard, casingor molding, as may be required, before screws 19 are tightened up.Having placed the alining plate in proper position, it is locked thereby tightening up screws 19. The face plate is then secured to thealining plate and is necessarily both leveled and alined thereby.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim 1. The combination with a box and an electric device therein, ofadjusting ears connected with said device, an alining plate adjustablyconnected with said ears to permit said plate to rest flat against thesurface of a wall irrespective of the relative angle of the wall and thebox, means for connecting the adjusting earsto said box, and a faceplate detachably secured to said alining plate.

2. The combination with a box and an electric device therein, ofadjusting ears connected with said device, an alining plate adjustablyconnected with said ears topermlt said plate to rest flat against thesurface of a wall irrespective of the relative'angle of the wall and thebox, means for connecting the adjusting ears to said box, and a faceplate having spring fingers for engaging said alining plate. j

3. The combination with a box and an electric device therein, ofadjusting ears connected with said device, an alining plate adjustablyconnected with said ears to permit said plate to rest fiat against thesurface of a wall irrespective of the relative angle of the wall and thebox, said alining plate having inturned tongues, meansfor connectingsaid adjusting ears to said box, and a face plate having spring fingersfor removably engaging said tongues.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HARVEY HUBBELT.

